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Photo by Erica Techo.
Kay Colgan, front, and Taylor Hackett play pickleball.
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Photo by Erica Techo.
Lisa Bond and Brett Hackett, 9, run after a ball to continue their volley in pickleball.
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Photo by Erica Techo.
Kay Colgan, right, and Taylor Hackett play together on a team in a match of pickleball, a sport all ages can play, Colgan said.
What do you get when you combine badminton, tennis and ping pong? Pickleball.
The racquet sport, first played in 1965 according to the USA Pickleball Association website, has made its way into Shelby County.
“I think the South, except for Florida, is behind on pickleball,” said Kay Colgan, a Chelsea resident who helps coordinate games at the Chelsea Community Center.
The county is picking up on the trend, however, and has official pickleball courts at the Chelsea Community Center and Heardmont Park. The sport involves two to four players on a 44-by-20-foot court, and each player has a paddle-type racquet. The players bat around a lightweight ball, which is similar to a whiffle ball, and the first team to 11 points wins.
Colgan said she first heard about the sport through a friend and played in Trussville for a while. The drive and cost to play, however, got tedious. After the Chelsea Community Center was up and running, Colgan said she approached Mayor Earl Niven.
“I said, ‘I’d like to start playing pickleball here,’ and the mayor said, ‘OK,’” she said.
She continued to think she had done an excellent job selling the idea of pickleball to Niven, at least until she found out one of the mayor’s friends already had suggested the idea. Once the basketball courts were complete, Colgan said the mayor had lines for the pickleball court painted as well.
The gymnasium now boasts two courts.
Colgan and a small group of pickleball players started playing at the community center in April, and in the last few months, their numbers have grown from six players a day to often more than 12. They play in the Chelsea Community Center every Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to about 1 p.m., and Colgan said they also have attracted some players at Heardmont Park.
Heardmont Park broke ground on two pickleball courts in March, said player Lisa Bond, and they have seen their group double in size since getting designated courts.
Bond said she typically prefers to play outside, but having the option between indoor and outdoor courts is beneficial.
“It’s great to have those out there [at Heardmont Park], but if it’s raining or even in the winter time when it’s really cold, we’ll be able to play indoors at Chelsea,” she said. “It gives you the best of both worlds, really.”
The pickleball groups in Chelsea and at Heardmont Park both hold game play and practice during the day, but Bond and Colgan said they would like to start night play for people who work during the day. All it would take to get that started is proof of interest, Colgan said.
One of the appealing qualities of the sport is that it can be played by people of all ages, Colgan said. For seniors, the sport is a good way to remain active and get exercise without the strain that comes with other sports.
“You can play this longer than you can play tennis,” Colgan said.
The lighter weight balls also help, she said. They move more slowly and are easier to hit, and because of that, they do not hurt as badly if they accidentally hit you.
“There are really two categories of people [who play],” said Neill Beavers, a Mt Laurel resident who plays pickleball at the community center. “If you look at the old people like me who are retired, it’s a great way to get an elevated cardio state for a time and to have fun at the same time. … Secondly, there’s a lot of people who play sports like tennis and have joint problems.”
Because pickleball is easier on joints and gives a fun mode of exercise and friendly competition, Bond said it has grown in retirement communities. Even though it’s popular among seniors, Colgan said that people of all ages can and should play.
When they would play at the community center during the summer, Colgan said she would call over any kids who were standing around watching. “I’d say, ‘Come over here, and let me teach you pickleball,’” she said.
Age and strength are also not as vital in pickleball as they are in other sports, Beavers said. Sometimes strategy wins over strength, and a 70-year-old could easily beat out a 20-year-old on the court.
“It’s more on touch than it is on power,” Colgan said. “It’s about placing the ball, kind of like ping pong. The winner shot is always between the two people.”
In states where pickleball is well known and thriving, there are tournaments and competitions. While some pickleball players, like Colgan, hope to join in on the competition, others are content with just having fun.
“I just think that we are not competitive about it,” Bond said. “We are just out there to have fun. I do think it can get competitive, but for right now, we are just enjoying being out there and hitting the ball.”
As pickleball play grows on its new designated courts in Shelby County, Bond said she would encourage people to join them and ask questions. And if they’re still unsure about the sport, a web search can show them more.
“Google it and see what it’s about,” she said. “That’s what we always tell people when they’re like, ‘What’s pickleball?’”
For more information about pickleball in Shelby County, visit Pickleball North Shelby on Facebook.
